


Unnamed

by zarahjoyce



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 01:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10708854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: "...You do realize you're not actually helping me decide exactly what to cook for the party, Rokurou?" Five ficlets about this pair.





	Unnamed

**burn**

It was only logical, she thought, that she study the profiles of those she was traveling with rather intensively. While being discreet about it, of course.

Starting with those detestable daemons.

He was down there talking with Laphicet. Laughing and carefree, it was easy to think he was human - until one got to see the markings on his face. On his body.

Until one got to see his unrivaled glee in battle.

Remembering his unbridled prowess while fighting, the ease he'd shown cutting through flesh... she couldn't help but shiver.

And then he looked up, saw her watching him, and raised a hand in greeting with a smile to boot.

She jumped and turned tail, only to bump into the self-proclaimed witch along the way.

...who was looking at her rather wickedly, come to think of it.

"Enjoying the view, aren't we?"

The comment was innocent enough. But the lewd smile on the woman's face was anything but.

"That's... that's none of your concern!" she said, hands curled into fists at her sides.

She made a show of stomping away until the witch said, "I won't worry about it, if I were you. He _likes_ you watching him. Any witch worth her salt can tell."

And she found herself unable to respond to _that_.

 

**shot**

Rokurou was nursing his third bottle when he heard it: the tale of unrequited love between a bumbling idiot and the virtuous, beloved Shepherd.

"Fourth time this week," he spoke softly. "Unbelievable."

"She was _so_ close to saying yes to my marriage proposal," the idiot was saying to his circle of friends now. "She was almost my wife! I-- I would've made her very happy if only she'd agreed!"

His friend scoffed. "You're not the first one she said no to, and I doubt you'd be the last."

"But why? _Why_? What's wrong with me?"

_Oh, where to begin_ , Rokurou thought, chuckling.

"This didn't come from me," his friend said, scooting closer to the dejected man. "But I heard she's already seeing someone else."

_...ah._ The daemon's ears perked up. This was new.

" _No!_ Is she? But I don't see anyone traveling with her!"

"That's just it. Her lover can't be seen by any ordinary man."

\--which was true, the daemon thought. He'd intentionally kept his distance from her by day, but by night?

By night, things were different. Very different.

He paused and looked at the gossiping men. Was their _secret affair_ no longer a secret?

_Aw._

"Why? _Why?_ "

"Because!" The nosy friend looked rather earnest now. Even Rokurou, despite himself, was scooting his chair closer to the other table so he could hear better.

"Because her lover is no other than the Empyrean _Maotelus_ himself!"

Rokurou almost fell from his seat.

...Laphicet? 

_Really?_

"Unbelievable!"

 

**fan**

"Let's see. What do you want to eat? Would you want some Dwarven Salisbury Surprise for dinner?"

"Sure."

"Or! Perhaps Seashell Pasta Minestrone?"

"Okay."

"But we just had that this week. Hmm. Giant Squid Pizza?"

"That'll be awesome."

"Fresh Fish Pirate Platter?"

"You know, you make a great variation of that."

"Zesty Dream Herring Marinade?"

"That sounds fantastic, Eleanor."

"Twin Shark Meuniere?"

"Oh god, yes. _Yes._ "

"...You do realize you're not actually helping me decide exactly what to cook for the party?"

"I can't help it if I want to put everything you cook into my mouth, can I? ...Then again, that's not all of yours I want to put in my mouth--"

" _Rokurou!_ "

 

**cross**

The beloved Shepherd... was dead.

He couldn't quite keep the words in his head, no matter how hard he tried to swallow them. 

The beloved Shepherd _was dead._

"What?" He spat on the ground, unsurprised to see it turn its spot red. "That all you guys can do?"

His blades felt like extensions of his limbs, but for a wild, unhinged second, he didn't want to move them. Didn't want to use them.

He had not passed his family's style to anyone. He didn't have any pupils. No one had yet to acknowledge that while he had bested Shigure, he was not Shigure, and there would never be a Shigure after his brother died.

But that didn't matter. Not anymore.

The beloved Shepherd was dead.

"I came here for a fight," he said now, taking off his jacket and discarding it to the side. He was no longer in need of it. "You, there. Come at me with all you've got. Unless of course you're just waiting for me to _kill_ you."

The bull-headed daemon charged at him, raising its ax over its head with an ear-splitting yell.

He grinned.

 

**gleam**

She pulled the bandage close over his chest, then looked up at him. "Too tight?"

"No," he said, grimacing all the while. "It's fine."

Placing a tape over the ends, she sat on her heels and sighed. "We really ought to find the others soon. You need Magilou or Laphicet to heal you. My healing artes aren't strong enough yet. I--"

He placed a hand over her shoulder and chuckled. "Hey, hey, Eleanor. Don't worry, all right? These are just burns. They'll heal on their own, even without Magilou or Laphicet."

She thought about arguing, then abandoned it quickly. "Still... they have to hurt."

As if she couldn't help herself, she traced the edges of the uncovered wounds. They told a gruesome tale: that of the daemon fighting another daemon and emerging from it victorious, with these severe burns on his person as his reward.

She'd arrived just in time to see him collapse. 

So now here they were: with her doing what little she could to aid him, until he was strong enough to stand again - or until the others found them. She prayed either would happen, _soon_.

The burns on his chest ended just as his daemon markings began. And - no, _because_ she couldn't help herself - she traced the dark skin up, up, until she was touching his cheek.

Only then did she notice that he was looking at her through half-lidded eyes.

And that the red pupil of his daemon side was nearly glowing.

Immediately, she pulled her hand away from his face, aghast at the realization of what she'd been _doing_. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean--"

"It's all right," he said, voice low and husky. "It's fine. Keep touching me, if you like. I'm not going to stop you."

That had her shooting up to her feet and turning away from him. "I'm not...! I'm just... I'm going to stand over there, all right? I'll tell you as soon as any of them show up."

She'd yet to take a few steps from him when he said, "Aw, come on Eleanor. Will it help if I told you I _liked_ you touching me?"

No, no it would not, thank you.


End file.
